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Case vs. Amanda Knox called "farce"

Amanda Knox enters the court for an appeal hearing in Perugia, central Italy, Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. Knox, an American student, was convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering Meredith Kercher, her British roommate in Perugia, and sentenced to 26 years in prison. Knox's boyfriend at the time of the 2007 murder, Raffaele Sollecito of Italy, was convicted of the same charges and sentenced to 25 years. Both deny wrongdoing and have appealed the December 2009 verdict.

"Among the Italian journalists covering this, there is a feeling that she will be found not guilty, which is quite an accomplishment when you realize there was this tsunami of tabloid coverage for years, calling her a she-level, promiscuous, drug-using, manipulator, (saying) she held the knife that killed Meredith Kercher, and on and on.

"That entire case is false. That entire case has crumbled around the prosecutor's ankles. So, it's looking good for Amanda."

What changed from the first trial?

"What happened this time,' says van Sant, "was the judge ordered that a scientific panel review the evidence. They discovered 54 major mistakes by the crime scene investigators, and they also -- which we reported three years ago -- they also determined that the DNA evidence wasn't DNA evidence at all. The piece of evidence that really damned Amanda was the notion that her DNA was on the handle of the knife and the victim's DNA was on the blade, but what was really on the blade was residue from - rye bread, and I kid you not.

"This entire case has been a farce, and it's now out there for the world to see."